As in many countries, legislative texts are only binding after publication (article 119 of the Portuguese Constitution).

From July 1, 2006 the gazette is published in electronic form, with only a handful of authenticated printed copies (for deposit in the National Archive, the Presidency, the Assembleia da República, the high courts, etc.). There were other changes, such as the end of the III Series.
It is possible to buy the printed version of the I Series.

Diário da República Electrónico is the public service of universal and free access. It requires a PDFviewer. Users can search and access entire editions or a particular act, from 1910, in the case of the I Series, or 2000, in the case of the II Series. There are no known plans to backscan older copies.

Added value services are also available, which allow Boolean search, alerts on new legislation regarding subjects defined by the user, etc.

The Autonomous Regions of Azores and Madeira each have a gazette, the Jornal Oficial da Região Autónoma dos Açores (JORAA) and Jornal Oficial da Região Autónoma da Madeira (JORAM). These are also available online, but in the case of JORAM only the printed version is considered authentic.